3 Smart Marketing Techniques We Find in JetBlue's Viral Video

JetBlue recently released an online video that has quickly gone viral, racking up nearly a million views in less than a week.

Entitled Reach Across the Aisle, passengers on JetBlue flight 603 were in for a surprise, as they were offered a free flight to any one of the destinations JetBlue flies to, domestic or international.

The catch? They all had to agree on the destination.

"We all go, or no one goes," says the representative in the video.

Watch the video below and see if you can spot the 3 smart marketing techniques we noticed.

Did you see them? Here's what we saw.

Tapping into current trends

The video taps into the frustration many are currently feeling towards the gridlocked state of American politics. At no point in the nation's history has there been less compromise and more personal attacks between elected representatives.

By having their customers "reach across the aisle" and agree for the greater good, they create an emotional experience that resonates with viewers, and drives them to share it with their friends and followers.

The power of "real"

Consumers are more naturally drawn to the stories and experiences of real human beings. It's the reason reality TV shows are so popular. Even though these shows are almost never authentically real and are heavily scripted and produced, they do a great job of portraying reality.

That is what they convey so well in this video. Sure, it's entirely possible that this is all staged with great actors and scripting, but it doesn't matter. It appears to be authentic, so we believe it.

We instinctively put ourselves in these passengers shoes, and imagine what we would do when placed in that same scenario.

Visual aids

JetBlue used powerful visual aids to further illustrate their metaphor on American politics.

In the United States, there are too main political parties, each with their own primary color. The Republican party uses red, while the Democratic party uses blue.

Passengers on each side of the aisle were given different color paper hands used in voting on destinations. One side had red, the other blue.

Even though the two groups of passengers were not technically on two opposing "teams", seeing those different color hands rise up for the various votes invoked thoughts of discussion, negotiation, and compromise. All things people want to see more of in politics.

Again, evoking an emotional response in JetBlue's audience.

For your next marketing campaign, try incorporating one or more of these strategies, then measure your results against your previous campaign.encorporating

About the Author

Patrick is our Content Specialist / Brand Ambassador / Internet Geek. He's got his finger on the pulse of business and retail trends, and loves writing in various corners of the internet. When he's not doing that, you'll find him traveling the world, playing hockey, or ranting about the Montreal Canadiens.